Will Grayson and Helen Walker

Stephen Bryan, a gay academic, is found brutally murdered in his bathroom. Will Grayson and Helen Walker, police detectives investigating the case, at first assume that his death is the result of an ill-judged sexual encounter. But doubts are soon raised. Bryan's laptop has gone missing - could the murder be connected to a biography he was writing on the life and mysterious death of fifties screen legend, Stella Leonard? Convinced there's a link, Bryan's sister Lesley sets out to prove that Bryan had uncovered a dangerous truth. But soon both Lesley and Helen Walker find themselves victims of the violence that swirls around them, as gradually the investigation uncovers the secrets of a family corrupted by lust, wealth and power...

Ruth and Simon's romantic break is shattered by the news that their daughter, Heather, on holiday in Cornwall, has disappeared. The loss is more than they can bear and they separate. In time, Ruth remarries and has a second daughter, Beatrice. Then Beatrice goes missing. While DI Grayson leads the search for Beatrice, DS Helen Walker re-examines what happened to Heather years before.